Some simple things to brighten up a dreary January...

Almost every day since i've had my little boy, iv'e looked out of our window to see a grey sky and lots & lots of rain - the lawn is squelchy underfoot as i go to feed the rabbit, who, despite having a lovely long run complete with a roof, much prefers to stay in his upstairs sleeping area than to brave this weather! And this morning as baby boy & I were making our way up in to town to buy a few essentials, we were faced with yet more rain and hail stones to boot! So we were very glad to be home again in the warm where there are plenty of things to cheer me up! To start with, I was very spoilt this year for Christmas and had some lovely gifts:

A very kind friend treated me to these gorgeous Cath Kidston mugs - such a lovely surprise as i'm a huge fan of all things Cath, they will be perfect for a nice of cup of tea whilst relaxing with one these books, more great gifts, which i can't wait to read...

Or there's also my favourite magazines, this year i plan to save a bit of cash and subscribe to Homes & Antiques, i really should do, as I buy it every month without fail!

This fabric heart was one of many small thoughtful gifts from my gorgeous husband, it looks lovely hanging on the dresser:

Another great treat was this Yankee Candle! I love these and this one smells lovely:

A beautiful vintage tin (i have a little collection of these)

And I was thrilled to receive this fab chicken from my mother-in-law - i'd very much admired the same one in her own kitchen earlier in the year, (it's from Lakeland) so i was really touched that she'd remembered and bought one for me!

Some bright & cheerful thank-you cards arrived in the post which made me smile:

I love all things polka-dot so this diary from Tesco is perfect! Every year i make a New Year resolution that i will start and keep up with writing a daily diary - and every time i get to the Spring and it's fallen by the wayside - perhaps this year this cheerful dotty one will inspire me to keep going!

These cheerful chickens (i think they are supposed to be egg cups? ) were my bargain charity shop find for the week, £1.99 for the 5! - i think they look fab on the mantle above the log burner:

Finally...Mia came home today with a rather fabulous hat! (a present from her Nan)

She recently decorated this plate with a kit which she had for Christmas, i thought it was a great present, the pens are permanent and can even go in the dishwasher - though i think it will be much nicer out on display:

And a happy smiley baby to end the day!